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Brett Young Talks Lifetime Before Overnight Success

Tells CMT.com, “I Think the Timing for What I’m Doing is Perfect”

If there’s anyone who understands that it takes a lifetime in music to become an overnight success, it’s Brett Young.

At age 37 and after just four years in Nashville, he’s having his moment with back-to-back hits “Mercy,” “Sleep Without You,” “Like I Loved You” and “In Case You Didn’t Know,” the latter of which has been certified triple platinum.

He came up in the same Los Angeles songwriter scene that generated Gavin DeGraw, John Mayer and Jason Mraz. But the scene that raised those musicians was dwindling during Young’s time in L.A. music.

“I think the timing for what I’m doing is perfect,” Young told CMT.com in a recent interview. “It’s easy to look back and say, ‘What if I came to Nashville sooner? What if I had been pursuing music instead of baseball at age 22?’”

He says if he had come to Nashville then, he wouldn’t be enjoying the achievements he is today.

“I don’t think country music was in a place where my music would have worked yet,” he says. “I just think it all happens for a reason, and I also think I maybe wouldn’t have handled having a little bit of success really well in my early 20s. Whereas now, it’s all about taking it seriously and longevity and wanting to really take care of the music, the songs and the lyrics and be here for a while. Yeah, it started late for me, but I think it’s because it was supposed to.”

Young’s latest single “Here Tonight” was written with Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley. It’s the first release from his upcoming sophomore album, Ticket to L.A..

Young is nominated for the CMA’s new artist of the year. He launches CMT’s Here Tonight tour on Nov. 16 in Royal Oak, Mich. with Rachel Wammack and Tyler Rich.

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